Students searching for an accredited degree program must be aware of the legitimacy of an accrediting agency. While there are many specialized accreditors, a little research should reveal whether they are meeting industry and governmental standards.

The Department of Education (DOE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) are the highest standards for education in the United States; however, the DOE and CHEA do not accredit individual schools or academic programs. Instead, they are responsible for overseeing autonomous accrediting agencies. These agencies are private organizations dedicated to ensuring that schools meet academic standards and are ultimately accountable to the DOE.

With the specific field of healthcare, accreditation is further broken down into specialties and should be researched based on the individual program. If a school is listed as having regional accreditation and specialized accreditation in a particular healthcare field, it is in accordance with the highest standards for education from that accrediting agency. It should be noted that healthcare schools that are accredited by a DOE or CHEA-recognized agency will meet academic standards even if no specialized accreditation is mentioned.

To find out if an accrediting agency is recognized by the United States government, students are encouraged to check the DOE list of nationally recognized agencies. The website includes a master list of recognized institutions by name and by geography:DOA Site

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation also has a list of recognized agencies: CHEA Site